The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has shared a report that suggests security patrols of dancefloors, temperature checks on arrival and dancing in face masks could be the future of clubbing in the UK amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bodies such as the NTIA, UK Music and the Music Venues Trust have already warned that the clubbing and nightlife sector faces an imminent collapse that could put 750,000 jobs at risk with the government’s furlough scheme soon coming to an end. Alongside this, many working in the sector have not been told when and how they might be able to begin reopening, with the government coming under increasing pressure to better provide sector-specific support. It’s a situation which, the NTIA says, has left many nightclub owners "verging on insolvency."
Alongside a number of club owners and other industry figures, the NTIA commissioned the report from the Institute Of Occupational Medicine that they say, if actioned, could allow the sector to gradually start running again while keeping COVID-19 transmission rates as the "lowest practicable level." ID scans for clubbers to help with the test and trace system and thermal monitoring to measure the temperature of all attendees are amongst the suggested measures.
The report goes on to suggest that security staff can control the number of people on a dancefloor at any one time, while enforcing physical distancing requirements. A number of the UK’s clubs, the report adds, are larger than pubs, restaurants and other social spaces that have been allowed to reopen, while it’s also said that clubs recycle air more frequently than these spaces with more powerful ventilation systems.
Another argument being put forward for clubs to begin to gradually reopen with measures in place is that it may curtail the popularity of illegal raves where no COVID-19 protocols are being followed. A number of illegal raves have taken place across the UK in recent months, with the government earlier this month introducing measures that mean organisers of such events could be fined up to £10,000.
"Bearing in mind the behaviour we are witnessing in unregulated environments such as beaches, parks and raves, there is a strong argument to permit clubs to reopen, albeit under strict controls flowing from government guidance and individual risk assessments informed by other sectors," the report says, adding that the recent spate of illegal raves "put those who attend them in danger, waste precious emergency services time and contribute to regional outbreaks of COVID-19."
